Student protesters reject PM’s call for dialogue

Political turmoil intensifies in Bangladesh as student leaders turn down PM Hasina’s invitation to discuss country’s controversial quota system and put an end to protests

Tension gripped Bangladesh afresh on Saturday after student movement leaders refused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s invitation for talks. At the same time, protesters laid siege on major streets in the capital, days after more than 200 people died in anti-quota protests. On Friday, Prime Minister Hasina urged the agitating students to meet at her Ganabhaban official residence for talks to end the violence over the quota system in government jobs.

“I am saying again, they (student leaders) can come to me for talks if they want they can bring with them their guardians as well anytime,” said Hasina during a meeting with leaders of different professional groups. “I want to listen to them. I do not want conflict,” she further stated. Meanwhile, two police officials were suspended by higher authorities for their unprofessional conduct. The officials had fired gunshots that killed a second-year student of Northwestern Rangpur University Abu Sayeed, the first casualty during the protest on the university campus, intensifying the student’s rage.

However, coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement said on Friday that they had no plan to hold talks with the government; overnight, they called a nationwide street protest and all-out non-cooperation or civil disobedience campaign. One of the six coordinators who were earlier detained for their “own safety” in detective police custody and freed after they announced the withdrawal of their movement on Friday said they were forced to give the statement.

“When we were detained in the office, we were asked to meet with the Prime Minister and suspend the movement. There was even a plan to take us to Ganobhaban forcibly,”  one of the coordinators Asif Mahmud said in a Facebook post. “We are ready to pay the price of an uncompromising stance, even if it means death. We call for the participation of every citizen of Bangladesh in the student-citizen uprising,” Asif wrote. Hasina’s call comes a day after new protests erupted on Friday, leaving two people dead and more than 100 injured as over 2,000 protesters gathered in parts of the capital, some shouting “down with the autocrat” and demanding justice for victims.

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